Preparing Your Manuscript for Editing
A short, friendly guide to getting your work ready to send
Sending your manuscript to an editor for the first time can feel a little daunting. After months — sometimes years — of writing in your own quiet space, the idea of handing your work over for someone else to read can stir up all sorts of feelings.
This page is here to make the practical part as straightforward as possible, so the only thing left to think about is the writing itself.
A few simple steps make the process smoother — for both of us — and let me get straight to the work without delay. If anything here is unclear, or if your manuscript doesn't quite fit the picture below, please don't worry. We can talk it through.
The file itself
A few small things help me give your manuscript my full attention from the first page:
Send your manuscript as a Word document (.docx). Word is what I work in, and it's the format that handles tracked changes, comments, and editorial notes most reliably. If your manuscript currently lives somewhere else — Google Docs, Pages, Scrivener — exporting to .docx is straightforward, and I'm happy to help if you're unsure how.
Include page numbers. This is the one practical thing I'd genuinely ask for. Page numbers make it much easier for me to quote from your text in my report and point you to the exact part of the manuscript I'm referring to. Bottom-right or bottom-centre is fine; whatever your software does by default.
Font and spacing are up to you. Most writers send manuscripts in 12-point Times New Roman or similar, double-spaced — and that's perfectly comfortable to work with. I don't fuss about formatting. Whatever you've been writing in is fine, as long as it's legible on screen.
That's genuinely it for the technical side.
What to send alongside
You don't need to write a long introduction, but a short covering note helps me get oriented. A few things worth mentioning, if relevant:
The genre and rough word count, if we haven't already discussed them.
A sentence or two about where the manuscript is in its journey — first draft, third revision, ready for final polish, somewhere in between.
Any specific questions or concerns you'd like me to keep in mind as I read. For a manuscript critique especially, knowing what you're worried about — pacing in the middle, whether a particular character is working, an ending you're not sure about — helps me focus my feedback where it'll be most useful to you.
Any context that might affect how I read the work: a deadline you're working towards, a particular submission you're preparing for, anything you'd find helpful for me to know.
Keep it short. A few sentences are plenty. The manuscript will say most of what needs to be said.
What you don't need to do
This is the part I’d most like you to read, especially if this is your first time working with an editor.
You don't need to make your manuscript perfect before sending it. That's the whole reason you're working with me — to find the things you can't quite see yet, and to think through what to do about them. Some of the manuscripts I'm most useful on are the ones that arrive with their writer feeling slightly uncertain.
You don't need to anticipate every question I might ask. That's part of my job. If something needs clarifying, I'll ask.
You don't need to apologise for the bits you're worried about. Tell me about them by all means, but you're allowed to send work that isn't yet doing everything you want it to do. That's normal, and it's expected.
You don't need to format your manuscript to professional standards before it reaches me. Some writers like to tidy theirs up before sending; that's fine. Others prefer to keep working until the last moment and send the manuscript exactly as it is. Both are fine. The work matters more than the presentation.
Confidentiality and care
Your manuscript is treated with discretion at every stage. I don't share or discuss your work with anyone else, and any drafts I hold are kept securely. Full details are in my Terms of Service, but the short version is: your writing is yours, and it's treated that way.
Once you've sent it
You'll receive a brief acknowledgement that the manuscript has arrived and the work is underway. From there, the process depends on which service we've agreed on. You can read more about how each one unfolds on the How I Work With Words page, or on the relevant service page.
If you'd prefer to talk anything through before sending, or you're not sure whether your manuscript is ready, please just get in touch. I'd much rather have a quick conversation than leave you feeling uncertain.
One last thought
Sending your work to an editor for the first time is an act of trust, and I take it seriously. Whatever state your manuscript arrives in, my role is the same: to read carefully, respond honestly, and help your writing become more fully itself.
Whenever you're ready, your manuscript is welcome here.